Maybe next time don't wantonly spin the clearly
enchanted mirror without learning what it does first.
enchanted mirror without learning what it does first.
Production Code: 217
Jake and Haley are forced to re-examine their sibling rivalry when a magical mirror swaps their bodies, forcing them to experience a typical day in their sibling's shoes.
Tropes
- Call-Back: A unique example, as this episode takes a decent amount of time to show how Jake's handling Rose's act of breaking up with him in "The Love Cruise"...which Disney
aired a month after they aired this one. - "Freaky Friday" Flip: Jake and Haley spend most of the episode swapped into the other's body. Fu even points out that what a standard plot device it is.Fu Dog: Haven't either of you seen this kind of movie before?
- Here We Go Again!: The morning after Jake and Haley switch back, she claims that's she learned her lesson from spending a day in his body and allows him to get to the bathroom first. However, she quickly trips him, and they playfully partake in their daily race.
- Icarus Allusion: Haley couldn't help but enjoy the stronger wings her older brother's dragon form provided and kept ascending up and up. The lack of momentum eventually caused her to stall in the air and fall.
- In Another Man's Shoes: Or scales for that matter. It turns out that being a prodigy who's expected to be perfect at everything as well as the American Dragon who's tasked with protecting the magical world aren't exactly the most freeing occupations.
- Innocuously Important Episode: In the same vein as season one episodes "Body Guard Duty" and "Shapeshifter", this largely standalone episode subtly develops the Jake/Rose Myth Arc with its B-plot, helping set up for the climactic "Homecoming".
- Jive Turkey: Haley calls out Jake for his liberal use of ebonics when he should just plainly tell Rose how he feels.
- Magic Mirror: The MacGuffin of the episode the Longs have to protect from the Huntsclan. It has the ability to switch peoples' bodies.
- Magic Skirt: When Jake in Haley's body does a headspin while wearing a pleated skirt, it stays pointed straight up, affected by neither gravity nor centrifugal force.
- Pet the Dog:
- While in Haley's body, Jake intended to destroy Haley's art project. ...Only to realize it's a painting of himself, as part of the class's assignment to paint their heroes. Jake finds it in his heart to forgo his act of spite.
- After their bodies are switched back, Haley assures Jake that she took care of Rose for him. It's revealed that she painted a nice portrait of Rose and signed it as being "from Jake", putting it in Rose's locker for her to find.
- Professional Butt-Kisser: Haley in Jake's body acts this way towards the school teachers in order to ruin his street cred.
- Race Against the Clock: When the Huntsboys steal the mirror, Jake and Haley have until sundown to get it back and switch back into their proper bodies before the change becomes permanent.
- Retcon:
- In "Fu and Tell", back in season one, Haley and Olivia Meers both attended a normal public school. Now, without explanation, they both attend a private school for gifted kids.
- It takes several hours for the mirror to switch Jake and Haley the first time it's activated, but for each subsequent use, it works immediately, though this could be chalked up to the mirror having not been activated for a long period and needing to charge up the first time.
- Self-Deprecation: There's a potshot thrown at the controversial use of slang by Jake throughout the series, particularly the first season.Haley: Well, all I have to do is fill my speech pattern with unbearable hip-hop slang from five years ago.
- Shout-Out: The scene where Jake (in Haley’s body) breakdances at an audition so Haley can get into a summer dance program in Paris is almost exactly like the audition scene in Flashdance.
- The Stinger: Having failed to retrieve the magic mirror, Huntsboys #88 and #89 offer the very unamused Huntsman funhouse mirrors as an alternative.
- Unexplained Recovery: By the time of The Stinger, #88 and #89 have somehow managed to get back into their original bodies.
- Voices Are Mental: After the body swap happens, we get Jake's voice coming out of Haley's body and Haley's voice coming out of Jake's body.
- Whatever Happened to the Mouse?: It is never revealed how #88 and #89 were able to return to their own bodies in The Stinger of the episode, especially with out the mirror.
